Health Update: A Day in Baltimore

Thank goodness for blogging. Its just way easier to explain the complicated-ness that is my life sometimes. We went to Johns Hopkins Thursday in Baltimore to get this whole process started. I saw the pulmonary HHT specialist. He ordered an echo on my chest just to make sure my lungs were clear of AVM's since my dad has them in his lungs. And since these are actually more dangerous than brain AVM's, especially through pregnancy and child birth. That wasn't a surprise to me though. The nurse made a call and they were able to get me in this afternoon. Thank goodness. Between all of the doctors appointments and tests there are like nine different appointments I will need. Cross this one off the list.

And let me just inject right here that Bryan thoroughly enjoyed himself during this visit. When the nurse first came in I was sitting at eye level with her because Bryan kept raising and raising the chair I was sitting in while I was trying to fill out paper work. She looked a little stunned! :)

After the pulmonary doctor was the ENT. Oh boy, was he fun. The nurse came in and sprayed numbing spray up my nose so the doctor could probe around my nose. I'm sure none of you have ever had the inside of your nose numbed. It's weird. I kept wiping it because it was running, but I couldn't feel it till it was on my upper lip. In the meantime Bryan found the light on the chair and was shining it in my eyes...right before he pushed some more buttons on the chair. This time I was laying back. That guy! I think he enjoyed himself so much because he never gets to go to the doctor like I do.  After this magic wand was inserted up my nose to explore the doctor left and my forehead started to itch. I looked down and I had a couple patches on my arms too. Wouldn't you know it. I was allergic to the numbing spray. Good grief. It's always something.

We had a couple hours until my echo so we headed that way and decided to grab something quick to eat on the way. We made it downtown to discover that the hospital was not in the best part of town. The best way to describe it is that there were inmates in orange jump suits with a guard picking up trash on the side of the road. And that guard with them didn't make me feel any safer. We made it to the Burger King, shoved our food down (not because we were hungry, but primarily for our safety) and headed down the road.

We went to the hospital then for the echo. The test took about an hour so Bryan found a pillow and tried to nap in the corner. I still have not heard the results. I am not expecting there to be any problems, but I should hear from them tomorrow.

After all of the poking and prodding we went down to Inner Harbor and had Cheesecake Factory on the river. So yummy. Browsed Barnes and Noble. Went up to the observatory deck 28 stories up and got to see Baltimore up close and personal. It was very cool. Then we walked around the mall and headed back to the Cheesecake Factory to get that cheesecake that our tummies had no room for earlier. One Oreo piece and one Snickers piece. Yum-O!!!

The day overall was great. Had the necessary tests and appointments. Nothing too emotional at this point. Got to spend the whole day with my husband. Got some sight seeing and good food in. Good day.

This is just the beginning of the whole process. Wednesday we will go back up to Baltimore to see the Nurse Practicioner about the upcoming angiogram, and we will be seeing the neurologist. We will then be out of town for the next week and a half. So when we get back I will go to an allergist because, of course, I am allergic to the dye they will use in the angiogram. Then we will have the angiogram. After that is when they will decide if I do have AVM's, if they want to treat them, and if they think it is safe for me to get pregnant.

In the meantime they have instructed us to stop trying for a baby. So we are on a baby break. Its so hard when the desire of my heart is to hold a little baby. My baby. But I do believe that God has protected me from getting pregnant these past two years because it is likely that I do have brain AVM's. So we are just waiting now. Waiting on the doctors, waiting on the tests, waiting on God. Not that it's easy but I have peace that this is the right thing to do right now. That helps. Today in church Pastor used an illustration about the Cape of Good Hope. It was originally named the Cape of Storms by the explorer who found it. He named it that due to the storms all around him on his journey. Then years later Vasco de Gama named it the Cape of Good Hope. He had a different perspective. He saw the hope in his journey. The end result. Making it to India. It really hit home with me. There is hope. The hope that one day God will give me baby. I know he will. But right now I have to wait. And not focus on the storms, but on the hope.

Thank you to all of you who are praying. So many of you have called or texted or emailed checking on me. I wanted to blog about this so I could answer all of your questions in as much detail as possible.

Safeway Couponing Trip

I keep posting pictures of my couponing trips, but if you don't know how I'm saving money then it doesn't help you. So for this post I am going to post a picture and tell you how I saved all the money. This particular post will be about Safeway. So pay attention DC area people. I hope to post other stores in the future.

-2 boxes of Hot Pockets-These were on sale for $1.88. I had a $2 off 2 Safeway coupon. I had an 95 cent off 2 coupon which doubled to stack on top of that. Final price-FREE.

-1 box of popsicles. They were on sale for $2.49. I had a $1 off Safeway coupon. And I had a $1 off coupon to stack on top of that. Final price-49 cents.

-12 boxes of Nabisco crackers. These usually retail for $3.99, but they were on sale for $1.88. I had coupons for $1 off 2. Final price-$1.38 each.

-2 boxes Triscuits. I happened upon these. They are new so there was a coupon for $1 off 1 attached to each box. They also were on sale for $1.88. Final price-88 cents each.

-4 bags of Lay's chips. They were on sale BOGO free. Original price was $4.29 a bag. Final price-$2.65 each.

-2 boxes of Keebler crackers. These were also on sale for $1.88. I had a Safeway coupon for $1 off 2. Final price-$.138 each.

This trip was about a month ago. The total was around $100, and I paid $33. I will take a 66% savings anyday! I once read a blog about a lady whose goal was to save 60% every time she shops. In my experience that is actually very realistic. the goal is not to get thousands of dollars of groceries free. Those shows you see on TV are not real. That's why it's so addicting. :) It may not seem feasible to you right now, but I'm telling you, saving 60% is very doable. This is by using coupons and the store ads. Because, of course there aren't coupons for every single item. Milk, produce, meat...There are times when I hardly use any coupons and still save 60%. BOGO sales. Bulk meat sales. They are out there. 

So for all of you who have a Safeway by you, you need to download the Safeway app! It's their Just4U program. If you don't have an android phone you can sign up online. Register your card and browse all the savings. Whatever deals you are interested in just load to your card. There is a tab for coupons and a tab for personalized deals. The coupons tab is self explanatory. But I love the personalized deals tab. Your card remembers items that you buy a lot of and gives you deals that are especially for you. Every shoppers card will have different deals. For instance, last week I got a deal for Laughing Cow cheese. They usually sell for $3.99, but my deal was for $1.88. That is almost 60% off. But the best part of using your Safeway card is that you can stack manufacturer's coupons on top of the Safeway coupons and deals. With your Safeway card you can get rock bottom prices. Do it today! Sign your card up with their rewards program. 

A Car and Some Coupons

This past Saturday Bryan and I bought a new car. A Honda CR-V. I love it. This is the first time in our 8 year marriage that we have had a nice car. Sometimes when I walk by the window I just look out at it! 

So after we bought the car we drove it across the street to Safeway. Coupons in hand I was ready to start saving money.  There were three items on my list. Chex, fruit snacks, and brownies. I got 2 boxes of brownies for 25 cents a box. Fruit snacks were 25 cents a box. And Chex were 50 cents a box. My total started at $66 and I walked away paying $6.66. 90% savings, baby!!! We loaded the groceries in the new car, and I called my mom, not to tell her about our new SUV, but to tell her how much I saved!!! True story.

Now, what do a car and a shopping trip have to do with each other? Nothing. I wanted to post about my savings, so I threw our new car in there. Had to. Love it!!!

Babies, Brains, and Bleeding Disorders

It's kind of a weird title for a blog post, but this one has to do with all those things. As most of you know we have been trying for two years to have a baby. What a lot of you don't know is that I have a bleeding disorder called HHT (hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia). My dad has it. His dad has it. His dad's mom has it. You get the picture. It's hereditary and it doesn't skip a generation. So at least one of my children will have it. Basically, I have a lot of extra blood vessels throughout my body. So I bleed really easily.

Eight years ago I was diagnosed with 3 AVMs in my brain. Basically they are clusters of blood vessels and arteries that are formed improperly. The problem is that at any time they could start bleeding. And the result of the bleeding could be life threatening. But there was no treatment for them so here they still sit today.

Three years ago before deciding we wanted to start a family I went to a neurologist, hematologist, and a high risk pregnancy doctor. All of them agreed that these formations in my brain were not AVMs. And me, being the positive person I am, took that diagnosis to mean I was fine. There were some precautions we needed to take while I was pregnant, but that was doable. Nine months later we decided it was time to start a family.
 
Two years have gone by and here we are. We went to a new fertility doctor here in Virginia. I was blown away when all this new doctor wanted to talk about was my HHT. Well that's not why we went. I wanted to talk about babies! But, he was genuinely concerned about my getting pregnant. He wanted to know that these legions in my brain weren't AVMs. So that's what we talked about for the majority of the visit (in between my crying spells). We talked about the risks of my getting pregnant, of having multiples, etc. He didn't want to proceed with any treatment until I went to a new high risk doctor. He also wanted all records related to my HHT. So I was sent home with a "to do list", a bunch of phone numbers, and heartbreak. Why was he making me do all of this? I thought it was taken care of.

I left there so disheartened and defeated. I was mad at that new doctor! I wanted my old doctor back. I had already done all of my "homework" before we started trying. I had already had treatment. I had surgery. Everything was ready to go. Give me a baby, now. Our friends came in town that day and were at our house for a few days so I didn't really have time to think about it after that day. I woke up one morning and thought maybe this new doctor was right. Maybe we should be more careful. Maybe I should get a third opinion.

I talked to my mom for a while that day and we talked about when I was diagnosed with AVMs 8 years ago. We had gone to an HHT center in St. Louis. I remember them being really concerned. But it was a month before I got married so honestly I don't remember much more than that. All this time I had thought the neurologist had diagnosed me. But it was the HHT specialist who did. That is the whole reason I went to a neurologist 3 years ago for a second opinion.. Someone who would tell me it was fine to have a baby. After realizing that I had been wrong this whole time, that maybe these were AVMs, I thought maybe this new fertility doctor was on to something. So we decided that we were going to put off the mission for baby until we got another opinion.

I looked online and found that there is an HHT center in Baltimore. I called them, and they told me they only see HHT patients once a month. And that their August 23 date was full. The next day I called the nurse again to make sure that she had gotten my new patient form, and she told me that she moved a patient and that I would be seen on August 23. What a blessing. Of course we are in a hurry to figure all of this out because of baby plans. Also, a couple months ago we learned that there is now radiation treatment for AVMs. My dad's cousin just had it done. Also, good news.

Let me just tell you about my God. The past two years have been such an emotional roller coaster. No doubt about that. And, honestly, there have been times when I have questioned Him. But I can say in this situation I am not questioning him. Think about it. I haven't gotten pregnant in the past two years. After all the treatment I have undergone, and the surgery I had it was hard to understand why I wasn't pregnant. Two months ago we found out there was treatment for brain AVMs. All of a sudden. In the midst of my doctor appointments. We moved to DC and went to a new fertility doctor. He wanted me to get another opinion. And there just happens to be an HHT center an hour away. God is doing something. He is working. All the little pieces of this puzzle are coming together. While we are in such a hurry to be parents I have complete peace that this is what we need to do right now. I may not have a baby in my arms, but I have a God who is taking care of me better than I know how to take care of myself.